Cigar-wrapping mechanism



May 4, 1937. I J. F. HALSTEAD 20,355

CIGAR WRAPPING MECHANISM Original Filed April' 14, 192B 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ZSnoentor t W 1 W Gttorneg y 1937- J. F. HALSTEAD Re. 20,355

CIGAR WRAPPING MECHANI SM Original Filed April 14, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ZSnnentor K .WiW

(Itturneg May 4, 193 7.

J. F. HALSTEAD CIGAR WRAPPING MECHANISM original Filed A pril 14, 1928 sshe ts-sheet 5' I 2 V I 3nr aen or T'Z PW Reissued May 4, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGAR-WRAPPING MECHANISM Original No. 1,915,277, dated June 2'7, 1933, Serial No. 270,094, April 14, 1928. reissue April 16, 1935,

19 Claims.

This invention relates to cigar wrapping mechanism for cigar machines, the object of the present improvements being to overcome some of the shortcomings of former devices for this pm- 5 pose, and thereby not only produce more perfect cigars, but also make the device more convenient for the operator to adjust.

A wrapping mechanism for a modern cigar machine, such as that to which the present invention is applied, consists of a gear driven set of longitudinal rollers, comprising a pair of top rollers and a pair of side rollers, between which the shaped cigar bunch is automatically inserted and in and by which it is. rolled around while the wrapper is being fed to its circumference; of a stationary set of conical tuck rollers, usually three in number, which support the rear or tuck end of the cigar while being rolled; of an adjustable conical head or flag roller for wrapping 29 the head end of the cigar, which end is supported in a stationary header block during the wrapping operation; of a cam operated tuck positioning device for properly adjusting the cigar bunch inserted into the rolling unit longitudinally; of

a cam operated tuck needle which holds the entering end of the wrapper against the tuck end of the cigar bunch; of a cam actuated flag cutting mechanism which nicks the head end of the wrapper and thus forms the flag for wrap- 35 ping the tip of the cigars; and of a cam operated' wrapper tensioning device, which guides the wrapper to the cigar bunch and keeps it under tension by holding it against the wrapper carrier and which transfers the wrapper from the wrapper die, in which it is out to shape, to the. wrapping device, while being wound around the bunch. The longitudinal rollers are provided with a mechanism for opening and closing the same, so as to spread them apart for admitting the unwrapped bunch and for allowing the finished cigar to be taken out by suitable transfer arms. The drive of the longitudinal rollers is arranged to be adjustable in two positions, so as to enable running the device at either of two speeds best suited to the quality and condition of the wrapper used. Besides the interchangeable parts mentioned, the tuck roller assembly and the header block are made especially for each cigar shape.

In former cigar wrapping devices, the side rollers were spaced closer together than the top rollers, thereby producing a resulting upward pressure on the cigar which causes it to rise during the rolling operation unless counterbalanced 55 by an excessive pressure on the top rollers, in

Application for Serial No. 16,660

either case changing the shape of the bunch and rendering the wrapper defective. By spacing the rollers symmetrically with respect to the horizontal axis of the cigar, this upward pressure is eliminated and the bunch will retain its. position without causing the top rollers to exert an injurious pressure on the bunch and wrapper.

Furthermore, in previous cigar wrapping devices, each pair of rollers, that is to say the top roller and side roller on each side of the: cigar, were mounted together on one arm, and swung from a separate centerfor each side so, that in the case of inaccurate workmanship or wear, only one roller of each pair would bear on the cigar bunch, causing the latter to depart from its circular shape while being wrapped. By mounting all the longitudinal rollers on a common center and pivoting each top roller separately on the respective side roller, all rollers can be independently adjusted for perfect wrapping. Thus, the device can be adjusted either with greater pressure on the forward or on the rear top roller, or with equal pressure on both, as may be desired in each individual case.

With the old arrangement, the longitudinal rollers being fixed with respect to the center axis of the cigar, the latter rolling on its surface, will turn on the axis of its cylindrical body, and since during the wrapping operation its ends are held in fixed positions by the stationary header block at one end and by the fixed tuck rollers at the other, the ends of the cigar are liable to damage unless they are exactly concentric with the cigar axis. In the present device, the longitudinal rollers due to their resilient or semifloating mounting, can give in the case of cocentric ends, so that the cigar then rolls or wobbles about the axis through the eccentric ends, and no damage to the ends will result from the eccentricity of the bunch.

Again, in former cigar Wrapping devices, the working location of the longitudinal rollers was obtained by adjusting the lengths of the com necting rods which join the roller opening crank arms with their actuating cam lever, thus rendering the working position of the rollers dependable upon the accuracy of fitting the dinerent joints and upon play due to wear. By limiting the motion of the rollers by means of adjustable direct stops, the adjustment is made independent of workmanship and of wear of parts.

Furthermore, in former cigar wrapping devices, the conical flag roller or header cone was mounted so that it approached the head of the cigar in one fixed position, and therefore its entering angle was liable to differ from the end angle of the header block, which in each case conforms to the exact shape of the cigar to be made. By making the entering angle of the flag roller adjustable in the present device, the action of the cone can readily be modified to suit any cigar shape, and the cone will perfectly wrap all shapes. For the purpose of keeping the point of the cone in registration with the tip of the cigar in any angular position of the cone, the bracket which carries the arm of the header cone is s-lidea bly mounted on a vertical circular surface provided on, or attached to the frame, the curvature of this surface having its center on a vertical line passing through the apex of the header cone and through the tip of the cigar coincidental therewith.

With these and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists of certain constructions and combinations which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, withcertain parts broken away, of a cigar wrapping mechanism embodying the above mentioned improvements;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of a portion of the same with certain parts broken away, on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the arrangement of the drive of the rolling unit;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top View showing the rolling unit;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, of the rolling unit;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4, showing the arrangement of the roller supports at the driving end of the rolling unit;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view with certain parts broken away of a section on the line B% of Fig. 4, showing the roller supports at the other end of the rolling unit;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary View of the section on line 'll of Fig. 4, showing the mechanism for opening and closing the rolling unit;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view with certainv parts broken away of a section on line 88 of Fig. 4, showing the tuck roller and the manner of its mounting upon. the central supporting rod of the rolling unit;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary vie-w of a section on line 9-9 of Fig. 1, showing the cigar tuck positioning mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of the cigar head rolling mechanism, on line l J1lil of Fig.

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of a portion of the device, partly broken away, showing the head rolling mechanism; and

Fig. 12 is a. fragmentary top View in section on the line [2-42 of Fig. 11, showing the adjustable arrangement of the header cone.

In carrying the invention into effect, there is provided in a cigar wrap-ping mechanism, a stationary shaft having opposed brackets pivoted thereon, a side roller and top roller carried by each bracket, with their lines of contact with a bunch equidistantly spaced from the corresponding rollers of the other bracket, and means are provided for moving said brackets toward and away from each other. In the best constructions, a group of tuck rollers are also supported by the stationary shaft. In the best construe-- tions also, each of the brackets is in two parts, pivotally and adjustably connected on the axis of its side roller, each being independently adjustable to bear against a bunch with selected pres sure. The best constructions also include a flag roller acting on a bunch between the side and top rollers, and include a mount for said roller, the roller and mount being adjustable in differ ent directions. In the best constructions also, there is provided an aligner for positioning a bunch between the rollers. These means may be widely varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular machine selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the specific embodiment shown and described.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the various parts of the Wrapper appiying device are carried by a frame i5, which is mounted on the table it of the cigar machine. A cam shaft il, in the housing 18 of the frame 85, has a spur gear 19 which is driven by gears 2s, 25 shaft 23 of the cigar machine, a bracket 24 attached to the under side of the table I5 carrying studs 25 and 26 of the gears 20 and 2|, respectively.

The motion from cam shaft I? is transmitted by a spur gear 2'5 to pinions 28 and 25] carried by a bracket 30 clamped to a bushing 3| of the shaft H by a bolt 32. In the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the overhanging face of pinion 29 is in mesh. With gear 33 on stud 3 and through gear mounted on the same stud, drives the rollers. In the dotted line position obtained by raising bolt 32 secured to bracket 35], the pinion. 35 mounted side by side, or made in one with the pinion 728 but having one tooth less than pinions 28 or 29, meshes with gear 33 and thus drives the gear 35 at a correspondingly lower speed suflicient to regulate the rolling speed of the cigar to suit the: stretch required on different grades and conditions of Wrappers. The gear 21 is provided with degree graduations, and a pointer 37 is attached to the frame so as to facilitate the exact timing of the cams mounted on shaft l'i. The bracket 3i carries the stop screws 29 with lock screws H39, which are adjusted to limit its motion in either direction by engaging a stop pin I 3! attached to the frame i5, when the gears are in proper meshing position.

On the stud 38, supported in frame l5 and having the cross pin 33 for engagement with a slotted crank handle, is mounted a gear 40 in mesh with the gear so that the gear fill may be turned by hand from that crank handle for the purpose of turning the cam shaft I? when assembling and adjusting the device.

The rolling unit, Figs. 3 to '7, consists of top rollers M and 42, and side rollers 43 and 44. The top rollers are carried by brackets 45 at the drive end and by brackets 46 at the other end, which brackets are held together by tie rods 47 and pivoted on the ends of the respective side rollers $3 and M. The latter, in turn, are carried by brackets 48 at the drive end and 49 at the opposite end, joined by tie rods 5% and pivoted on a stationary supporting shaft 5i. The brackets '15 in downwardly projecting lugs having sockets, carry the pins 52 which are connected by coil springs 53 to the bent pins 54 held in sockets of the brackets 48. The brackets 28 carry stop screws and 55 engaging respectively brackets iii and frame i5, by the setting of which the distances apart of the and 22, from the drive top and side rollers, respectively, are adjusted for different thicknesses of cigars. On the shaft 5| are loosely mounted gear wheels 51 and 58, which are pinned together or may be made in one, the gear 51 meshing with the gear 35 on stud 34 (Fig. 1), and the gear 58 meshing with gears 59 mounted on the shafts of the side rollers 43 and 44, thereby transmitting motion to each top and side roller, the gears 59 being in mesh with intermediate gears fill mounted on studs in brackets 45, and the intermediate gears in turn meshing with gears El of the upper rollers 4| and 42. The carrying brackets 45, 46', 48 and 49 are so dimensioned that the top rollers bear against the cigar at the same angles with respect to the surface of the cigar as the bottom rollers, so that the pressure exerted by one pair equalizes that of the other pair, and there is no tendency for the cigar to move out of position during the wrapping process.

The mechanism for Opening and closing the rollers, to admit the cigar to be wrapped and to permit it to be taken away after wrapping, consists of adjustable rods 62 attached to brackets 63 and 64 which are pivoted on a stud 65 carried by one arm of cam lever 66 which is pivoted on a stationary fulcrum shaft 61, and on its other arm carries a roller 68 held in engagement with a cam 69 on shaft IT by a spring I0 attached to the frame I5. The rods 62 are attached to blocks "II, which are strung on the tie rods 50, so that when the lever 66 is lowered by cam 69 into the dotted position hown in Fig. '7, the tie rods 5!! are pulled down by the rods 62, thereby turning the brackets 48 and 49 about the shaft 5!, and thus spreading the rollers apart.

While the cigar is being revolved by the rollers, its ends rest in the stationary header block I2 (Figs. 10 and 11) and on the tuck support I3 (Figs. 4 and 8). The header block I2 is a form piece made specially for each cigar shape, and is stationarily attached to the frame I5. The tuck support consists of conical rollers I4 arranged to conform with each individual cigar shape and supported by end plates I5 and I6 carried by the su port block I3 which is clamped to the shaft 5| by means of a saddle piece TI, which at its lower end carries a shaft I8 on which swings a cam operated arm which engages the tuck end of each incoming cigar bunch after being inserted between the rollers and pushes it into position longitudinally just before the rollers close down upon it.

The bunch positioner, Figs. 1 and 9, consists of a bent arm IS mounted on one end of the shaft I8, which on its other end carries a crank connected by an adjustable rod 8i to a block 82 which is hinged to a block 83 pivoted on stud 84 carried by an offset 35 of crank lever 86, which is fulcrumed on the stationary rod 61 carried by frame 55 and has mounted on it a roller 81 held in engagement with a cam 88 on the shaft II by spring 33 attached to a pin 90 in lever 85 and anchored to pin 5! of a stationary arm 92 clamped to fulcrum shaft 61.

After the bunch is in position, the wrapper is started on the bunch by the usual cam actuated tuck needle (not shown), which enters through the double-conic bushing 93 inserted in frame I5 and comes down upon the end of the incoming wrapper, which is guided at the proper angle upon the cigar bunch by the well known tensioning device (not shown) of the cigar machine, and holds it against the tuck end of the cigar so that the wrapper winds spirally around the bunch from its tuck end to its head as the bunch is being: revolved by the rolling unit.

The header unit, Figs. 10, 1 1 and 12', con-- sists of the adjustable header cone 94 carried by an arm 95, which. is clamped to a stud 95 held by arm 31. The bored enlargement on the end of arm 91' which receives stud 96 in arm 55 is set at such an angle that the axis of the stud passes through the cigar tip. The arm 91' is resiliently pivoted on the pin 98, extending radially from an arcuate bracket 99 by means of the coil spring I00 in housing IN. The bracket 99 has a grooved arcuate base, which engages slidingly with the circular face of abiock I02 attached to the frame I5, and is secured in the desired position by tightening the nut of a screw I03 carried by the block I02 and passing through a slot in the base of the bracket 99. The center I04 (Fig. 12) of the arcuate surface of block I02 lies in the ver tical line passing through the point of the cone s4, when in contact with the tip of the cigar, so that the coincidence of the cone point with the cigar tip is maintained in any position of bracket 99', that is to say, for any angle of the cigar tip.

The arm 91 has an inward extension I05, the

downwardly extending tip of which rests on the surface I36 of a cam lever I01 fulcrumed on a stud I08 held by .a screw I09 in the frame I5 and having a roller I I0 in engagement with a cam III on the shaft II. the header cone 94 against the cigar, also holds the roller II II in engagement with the cam III. On a stud H2 in the cam lever I01 is pivoted a finger I I3 which is pulled by a spring I14 against a stop H5, which holds it in position to engage with the nose N6 of an adjustable cam 1. When this nose passes under finger H3 from the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 10, the lever I0! is lifted from cam III, thereby raising the header cone 94' from the cigar and clearing the way for the approach of the flag cutter (not shown) of the cigar machine, the" movement into cutting position and driving of which are controlled through means not shown, by the action of lever II8, fulcrumed on stud I08, the actuating end of which lever is raised by the arm III] of lever I0! engaging with the lower stop screw I20 in the fork end of lever I'I8. After the nose I-IB has passed the finger II3, the" cam lever I01 drops until stopped by the up-- per stop screw I2I, causing withdrawal of the flag cutter after the latter has performed its function, and bringing the header cone back into rolling position. As the nose II6 passes from under finger H3, the latter drops onto an ad-- justable stop I22 which takes the shock of the impact, while the header cone 94 is still some distance from the cigar so that, upon further motion of the cam shaft, the header cone approaches the cigar gradually, without danger of injuring the wrapper. The position of cam III, for the correct timing of the cutting action, is adjusted by means of screws I23 carried by a block I24 attached to the cam III. The position of stop I22, which governs the distance from which the header cone commences its gradual motion towards the cigar for the final rollingv of the flag, is adjusted by a screw I25 in a lug I26 of the cam I", this adjusting screw then being locked in position by a screw I2'I also car- The spring I00 which presses ried by the lug I26, the stop I22 being secured by a screw I28 to the cam H7, this screw passing through a slot provided in the stop.

What is claimed is:

1. In cigar wrapping mechanism, the combina tion with a stationary shaft, of opposed brackets pivoted on said shaft, a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket with their lines of contact with a bunch equidistantly spaced from the corresponding rollers of the other bracket, and a group of tuck rollers supported by said shaft.

2. In cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a stationary shaft, of opposed brackets pivoted on said shaft, a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket with their lines of contact with a bunch equidistantly spaced from the corresponding rollers of the other bracket, a saddle carried by said shaft, and a group of tuck rollers carried by said saddle.

3. In cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a stationary shaft, of opposed brackets pivoted on said shaft, a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket with their lines of contact with a bunch equidistantly spaced from the corresponding rollers of the other bracket, each of said brackets being in two parts pivotally and adjustably connected on the axis of its side roller and each being independently adjustable to bear against a bunch with selected pressure.

4. In cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a stationary shaft, of opposed brackets pivoted on said shaft, a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket with their lines of contact with a bunch equidistantly spaced from the corresponding rollers of the other bracket, and a flag roller acting on a bunch between said rollers and mounts therefor which are adjustable in different directions.

5. In cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a stationary shaft, of opposed brackets pivoted on said shaft, a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket with their lines of contact with a bunch equidistantly spaced from the corresponding rollers of the other bracket, a saddle on said shaft, a flag roller arm mounted on said saddle and acting on a bunch between said rollers, and cam actuated linkage operating said arm.

6. In cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a stationary shaft, of opposed brackets pivoted on said shaft; a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket with their lines of contact with a bunch equidistantly spaced from the corresponding rollers of the other bracket, and an aligner for positioning a bunch between said rollers.

'7. In cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a stationary shaft, of opposed brackets pivoted on said shaft, a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket with their lines of contact with a bunch equidistantly spaced from the corresponding rollers of the other bracket, and a cam actuated arm for positioning a bunch between said rollers.

8. In a cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a support, of opposed brackets pivoted on said support, a side roller and top roller carried by each bracket and arranged to engage a cigar bunch located between the rollers on the respective brackets, each of said brackets being articulated intermediate the pivot point and the top roller to allow the top roller movement independent of the side roller.

9. In a cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a support, of opposed brackets ivoted on said support, a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket and arranged to engage a cigar bunch located between the rollers on the respective brackets, each of said brackets being articulated intermediate the pivot point and the top roller to allow the top roller movement independent of the side roller, the pivot points of said opposed brackets being located on the same axis substantially parallel to the axis of the cigar.

10. In a cigar Wrapping mechanism, the combination with a support, of opposed brackets pivoted on said support, a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket and arranged to engage a cigar bunch located between the rollers on the respective brackets, each of said brackets being articulated intermediate the pivot point and the top roller to allow the top roller movement independent of the side roller, devices maintaining said side rollers in contact with the bunch, and devices yieldingly urging said top rollers against the bunch.

11. In a cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a support, of opposed brackets pivoted on said support, a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket, said side rollers and top rollers being each arranged to engage a cigar bunch located between the rollers on the respective brackets, each of said brackets being in two parts pivotally connected on the axis of said cigar engaging side roller to support the top roller on the bracket for movement independent of the side roller, and means rotating said rollers while the same are in engagement with the bunch to rotate said bunch.

12. In a cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a shaft, of opposed brackets pivoted on said shaft, a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket and arranged to act on a cigar bunch located between the rollers on the respective brackets, each of said brackets being in two parts pivotally connected on the axis of its side roller.

13. In a cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a support, of opposed brackets pivoted on said support, a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket and arranged to engage a cigar located between the rollers on the respective brackets, each of said brackets being in two parts pivotally connected at a position be tween said top roller and the point of pivoting on said support, to permit independent movement of the top and side rollers toward the cigar, devices urging each of said rollers into contact with the cigar, and separately adjustable stops for individually limiting the movement of each of said rollers toward the cigar.

14. In a cigar wrapping machine, the combination with means mounting a pair of side rollers for movement toward and away from each other to engage a cigar bunch between them, of mechanism for mounting a pair of top rollers for movement toward each other, to engage said cigar bunch from either side, devices urging each of said top rollers into contact with the cigar and adjustable stops for the top rollers limiting the movement of the top rollers toward the cigar independently of the side rollers.

15. In a cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a pair of opposed brackets, of means mounting said brackets for movement toward and away from each other, rollers carried by said brackets, a flag roller arranged to act on a bunch located between said rollers, and a mount for the flag roller mounting the flag roller for adjustment in a circular path about an axis passing through the tip of the head end of a cigar being acted on by said rollers.

16. In a cigar wrapping mechanism, the com bination with a pair of opposed brackets, of means mounting said brackets for movement toward and. away from each other, rollers carried by said brackets, a conical flag roller arranged to act on a bunch located between said rollers, with the tip of the head end of the bunch substantially in contact with the tip oi the cone, and a mount for the fiag roller mounting the flag roller for adjustment in a circular path about a vertical axis passing through the tip of the head end of a cigar being acted on by said rollers.

1'7. In a cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a shaft, of opposed brackets pivotally mounted on the same axis parallel to the length of the cigar, rollers carried by the brackets arranged to engage a cigar bunch located between them, and a group of tuck rollers ar ranged to engage the tuck end of said bunch supported for adjustment on the same axis as that on which the brackets are pivoted.

18. In a cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a shaft, of opposed brackets pivoted on said shaft, rollers carried by said brackets, and a locating element movably mounted on said shaft for engagement with the tuck end of a bunch between said rollers to position the bunch.

19. In a cigar wrapping mechanism, the combination with a support, of opposed brackets pivoted on said support, a side roller and a top roller carried by each bracket and arranged to engage a cigar bunch located between the rollers on the respective brackets, a plurality of gears on each of said brackets connecting said side and top rollers, each of said brackets being in two parts pivotally connected on the axis of one of said gears to support the top roller on the bracket for movement independent of the side roller, without interfering with operation of the gearing.

JOHN F. HALSTEAD. 

